The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

9

TJOAIC 9 – SOFT KNIFE (软刀子)

The ground was littered with petals. The sky lit in twilight, Gao Dezhong lowered his head in silence. He watched as the last rays of the sun fell upon the emperor’s form, his shadow dragging longer and longer. The light grew dimmer by the second, a sense of melancholy upon its wake. 

“Your Majesty… The sky is darkening,” Gao Dezhong softly said, stepping forward.

Feng Jin turned his head. Glanced at him. Saw that the eunuch was peering up with his head lowered. “We remember back when Noble Consort Wei stood as the most favored imperial concubine in the last generation. Although We were of the legitimate line, in the imperial harem We still had to yield to her son, Our Second Imperial Elder Brother.” 

The moment Gao Dezhong heard these words, he dropped his head even lower. He had attended to the current emperor early on, and as such, understood the darker elements of the imperial harem. He knew what methods Noble Consort Wei used to grasp the wholehearted affections of the prior emperor. Yet it was unfortunate that…

Feng Jin shifted his gaze to the lotus pond. Back then, his Second Imperial Elder Brother shoved him into this very pond. After that, he suffered from a serious illness. But his Second Imperial Elder Brother had only been punished to copying ten sets of Buddhist scriptures. What a pity that this Noble Consort Wei only cared about power. In the end, she was bestowed three feet of white silk. Even this previously beloved second brother received the emperor’s hate.

Before his Imperial Father passed away, he had said that the women in the imperial harem did not love wholeheartedly. Feng Jin found it laughable. If one didn’t truly know a person, how could one hope that the other party would truly love them? That said, Feng Jin had always felt that his Imperial Mother’s love for his Imperial Father was legitimate. However, after the latter’s death, the former became the imperial harem’s most noble empress dowager, and did not seem sad about the death at all.　　

Because of his past experiences, never had Feng Jin hoped to truly hold the hearts of any of his imperial concubines. He also did not see true love as anything of value. There were too many beauties in the imperial harem. Whoever attended to him well would be favored a bit more. 

For this reason, when he heard Imperial Concubine Zhao’s words earlier this day, his heart trembled in surprise and an emotion he could not put into words.

In his youth, his Imperial Mother had once informed him indifferently the tricks the women in the imperial harem used to compete for favor. They were not necessarily for the emperor’s love, but rather the power. Only foolish women would give their hearts to the emperor. And said foolish women would not last long.　　

He no longer remembered how Imperial Concubine Zhao looked when she first entered the palace. But currently, it seemed like she was one of the imperial harem’s foolish women.

“Tonight have Taoyu Pavilion prepare for Our arrival,” Feng Jin slowly said, plucking a pear blossom from a tree. He played with it, twirling it in his fingers, the white petals tumbling to the ground.

✿

“Master Imperial Concubine Zhao, His Majesty will arrive tonight,” said a messenger eunuch after paying respects, a smile on his lips.

“Thank you for coming this far.” Yunxi placed a pouch of silver into the messenger eunuch’s hands, before speaking pleasantries. 　　

The messenger eunuch had the notion that the emperor favored this up and coming Imperial Concubine Zhao. After saying a few more pleasant words, he left. Once outside of the residence, he looked over his shoulder to the sign of Taoyu Pavilion, the sun having completely set. Who would have thought that the master of this place would rise from the ashes?